Tuesday, October 30, 2012

It's another Yuthasak fight, cause I just love watching this guy work in the ring. It's an interesting fight, because Phetdam seems to be at a disadvantage both in range and in skill.

However, Phetdam doesn't lose any heart and instead pushes the pace of the fight...throwing fire with every shot and not giving Yuthasak much room to breath. It's a great display of heart and conditioning.

On the other hand, it's interesting to see how Yuthasak is forced to use his foot work and stay in control of the pace, even when he's not the one setting it.

Friday, October 26, 2012

You may have heard the following phrases:
1. "When Muay Thai is done right, it ain't pretty....it's devastating"
2. "When Muay Thai is done right, it's beautiful...a work of art"

Both answers, to the average person, conflict. To the us as practioners, both are correct. Our definition of
beauty comes not from the aesthetics of kick, or a how flashy the knock out
is (although we can appreciate that). Beauty comes from the devastating
implementation of proper technique.

In this case, a good hard low kick
broke a thigh bone. Simple, no flash low kick. Yes, you read that right. Broke the thigh bone...check it out.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

There are just too many awesome KO's to go around! Here is Yuthasak Sakburiram vs Anuwat Sithom- two young warriors in the 105 lbs division.

Yuthasak is quickly becoming one of my current favourites. He has a mean teep and excellent coordination with his elbows. Anuwat is also a very game fighter. Both are ranked high in the Channel 7 stadium. While it's not Lumpini or Raja, I personally find Ch 7 fighters tend to bang it out a lot harder right away (in the other stadiums, they play the game a little more and feel it out longer).

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Bangkok played home to the Thai Fight Promotion's latest fight card, and I'm please to share with you videos of all the fights! The channel this was uploaded to also has many of the previous Thai Fights...take your time and enjoy the action!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Petchmonkong is a fairly long fighter at this weight in Thailand. He's got strong legs, but has been caught in the past for having somewhat loose hands.
Sittichai is the slightly smaller of the two, but probably more well rounded. He's a somewhat more familiar face to the westerm crowd as he's fought and completely beat up a lot of international competition.

One of the things I love about watching Thai fighters is seeing how sharp their strikes are. Taking a step back from "technique", as many different gyms and fighters have their own takes on it: look at the power and speed of the strikes.

Rarely do you see a Thai fighter only kick quickly, without some significant dig into the target. They've merged strength with fluidity almost perfectly. I find that when watching non Thai fighters, there are few that maintain that damaging integrity to their weapons, in a sacrifice for speed. Liam Harrison is one of those few that kicks both incredibly hard, with good speed.

Anyways, that's my glowing rant on top level MT fighters. Here's a great Raja fight where both fighters have showcase some sharp striking:http://youtu.be/VVypT9prwU8

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Damien is most well known for his largely successful past year. It was a year in which he managed to penetrate the top of the ranks of the highly prestigious lumpinee stadium and become it's champion.

This is a feat that is generally reserved for only the best Thai fighters in the cicuit, and made more impressive considering the rarity of a non Thai even fighting in Lumpinee (yes, it happens, but it's still not common, let alone headlining material). He's managed to defend the title once so far as well.

Diesllek, a regular contender at the 136-140 lbs weight class, is looking to upset Damien's momentum.

When a Thai fighter is fighting a non-Thai and appears relatively dominant, they usually look pretty relaxed. You would think that these Thai fighters would be more aggressive, but when you really watch them, most are relatively calm. They usually aren't even throwing as many shots as you think they are. I'm generalizing of course, but humour me.

Although they aren't hanging back, the Thais usually aren't rushing forward with 5 hit combos either. They tend to throw in shorter combinations, but do so in a manner that dictates the pace. While their opponents try to get off with several techniques in a flurry, the Thai fighters tend to keep calm, and interrupt or stifle the attack. It can be a well timed push kick to a smothering clinch game that helps them keep the fight from getting out of their control.

Whatevever it is, you're seeing experience and tactics in play. It's a game of quality vs quantity. The Thai fighter is usually looking to throw less and therefore slow the opponent's pace down. They do this by being more effective, rather than more active. Sittichai is one of those fighters who seems really active, but really, he's just throwing strong and well place shots.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Rajdamnern stadium held some big fights recently. Those unfamilar with the Muay Thai scene may not know Nong O or Petchboonchu well, but they are both warriors who have in fact fought over 4 times already. Nong-O has some slick kicks while Petchboonchu is an overall beast.

The headliner here, though, is Saenchai vs Singdam. Saenchai is no stranger to most people's youtube history. The man is a technician. Singdam may be lesser known to the non-Thai community, but his pedigree is just as impressive. Singdam is one of the fiercest kickers pound for pound, and has been regarded as such for a long time now. Singdam beat Saenchai last month on points in an exciting fight...so this rematch should be no less interesting.

Two "oldies" but goodies! Somrak, above, was orignally slated to fight Jean Claude Van Damme (no, that's no typo). But that didn't happen...so we are getting a better match between him and an old Lumpinee and Rajadanmern champ, Yodwanpadet!

Monday, October 1, 2012

A huge thanks to everyone who made it out to the fixer mixer. It was a big success as we got all our bags restuffed. Because of how the materials settle, we will need to add some more filling to them in the near future, but only in bits (no need to take everything out and stuff Roman in there). The bags will get heavier and tougher, but hopefully stay reasonable lol.